Softball: Yellow Jackets sweep Big Red in regular season finale

Heading into conference tournament weekend, the Defiance College Yellow Jackets took two from the Denison softball team on Monday afternoon in Granville. The Yellow Jackets took game one 9-2 and edged the Big Red in the nightcap 4-3.

After going five scoreless innings, Defiance erupted for seven runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a commanding lead. The Jackets' Allison Ramsey and Melanie Bushman both went 3-for-4 in the opener. Ramsey drove in three runs and scored another while Bushman had a double and two RBIs. Justine Johnston tossed a complete-game six hitter allowing two unearned runs.

DU's Emily Croll (Oak Harbor, Ohio/Oak Harbor) went 2-for-4 while Lauren Lynn (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore), Alex Murray (Mayfield Hts., Ohio/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin), Brie Berkopec (Mars, Pa./Mars Senior) and Sam Rumschlag (Carmel, Ind./Cathedral) accounted for the Big Red's other four hits. Junior Leslie Brenner (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield) surrendered seven runs off nine hits with three strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work.

Down 3-2 in the second game, Rumschlag tied the game in the fourth after hitting her first career home run over the wall in left center. However, Defiance recaptured the lead after Tasha Stucke scored on a throwing error in the top half of the fifth inning.

Rumschlag went 3-for-3 with a home run, a double, an RBI and a run scored while Croll laced three singles and scored once. Rumschlag also suffered the loss after allowing four runs (three earned) off eight hits with four Ks.

The Big Red falls to 21-16 overall while the Yellow Jackets improve to 25-14. Denison returns to action this weekend when they host the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. The Big Red open up tournament play on Friday against Ohio Wesleyan University at 12 p.m.

Game 1 Box [htm]

Game 2 Box [htm]